East Montpelier, Vt. — The Hartford High girls lacrosse program has plenty of reason for pride, even as its season closed with a 13-9 loss to U-32 in a VPA Division II semifinal on Tuesday afternoon.

The Hurricanes (13-4) had never reached a state semifinal nor had amassed double-digit wins in a regular season until this spring, Heather Hartford’s first as coach.

The Canes trailed the second-ranked Raiders, 8-5, at halftime and had the deficit down to 9-8 before U-32 (15-1) pulled away.

“This is a young team, and its future looks bright,” Hartford said. “We’ll certainly miss the seniors, the leadership they provided and their experience on the field as well. But looking at how young this team is overall, it was just a great experience.”

Morgan Pero paced the Canes with three goals and one assist. Alice Dwyer and Zoey Pfeiffer both had two goals, and Michaela Ricker and Tayler Simmons provided the others. Simmons finished with two assists; Dwyer, Ricker, Greer McCarty and Carolyn North had one helper apiece. Emi Harlow made eight saves.

Emily Ehret had four goals and Avery Ehret added three for the Raiders, who will meet No. 1 GMVS in the state final this weekend.

The Hurricanes graduate five.

Golf

Hull, Five OthersLead at Quechee

Quechee — Former Rutland High standout Drake Hull and five other golfers, split evenly between amateurs and pros, share the first-round lead in the New England Open golf tournament at the Quechee Club.

Hull, who transferred to the University of Connected last year after one season at Kansas, blitzed Quechee’s Highland layout to the tune of 5-under-par 67. He and defending Maine Amateur champion Jack Wyman both shot 4-under on Highland’s par-36 front nine, the best start of the day by anyone in the 84-player field.

Florida amateur Matt Hutchins and pros Corey Brigham, Evan Harmeling and Andrew Roy are also in the group at 67. Three more professionals — Bart George, Thomas Stirling and Shawn Warren — are a stroke off the lead.

Kimball Union Academy graduate and former Grantham resident Evan Russell shot an opening 70 and is three strokes back. Sam Brackett, a Hanover High graduate now playing professionally out of Florida, is at 71. Hanover’s Nate Choukas shot a first-round 83.

The 36-hole tournament wraps up today.

NECBL Baseball

Nighthawks OpenerWashed Out

South Kingstown, r.i. — The Upper Valley Nighthawks’ New England Collegiate Baseball League opener at the Ocean State Waves on Tuesday was called off due to forecasted rain. The game will be made up as part of a June 17 doubleheader at the Maxfield Sports Complex consisting of two seven-inning games.

Upper Valley hopes to kick off its schedule tonight at the North Adams (Mass.) SteepleCats. First pitch is 6:30 p.m.